Joseph Curseen was 47 and a United States Postal Service employee at the Brentwood mail processing center in Washington, D.C. He fell ill in mid-October 2001 with flu-like symptoms that rapidly worsened and died on October 22, 2001. Curseen had about 15 years of service and was described as a quiet, dedicated worker.

Another Brentwood coworker, Thomas Morris Jr., died of a similar illness. Both deaths were later attributed to inhalation anthrax contracted from handling tainted mail, and federal investigators treated the deaths as homicides. The FBI’s Amerithrax investigation eventually traced the anthrax spores to a flask at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick and focused on Dr. Bruce Ivins. Prosecutors were preparing charges in 2008 when Ivins died by apparent suicide; the Department of Justice subsequently concluded he was responsible. The case was closed without arrests.

Did anyone who worked at Brentwood or knew Joseph want to share memories or information that could add context to his life and final days?